BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey recommended Jayaar Gonzalez and Brittany Reichmann for pardons, nominated Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross to serve as an Associate Justice of the Housing Court, and renominated Jim Kelcourse to serve on the Massachusetts Parole Board. The Governor’s Council will now consider the pardon recommendations and nominations for confirmation.
“Our justice system should recognize when people have taken responsibility and made meaningful changes in their lives. These pardons are about fairness and removing barriers to jobs, housing and other opportunities,” said Governor Healey. “I’m also proud to nominate Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross and Jim Kelcourse for these important roles. Each brings a valuable perspective and a strong commitment to serving the people of Massachusetts. I appreciate the Governor’s Council’s consideration of these recommendations and nominations.”
“A fair and effective justice system is essential to building stronger, safer communities across Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council as it considers these recommendations and nominations.”
Pardon Recommendations
Jayaar Gonzalez was convicted of distribution of a Class B controlled substance in 1997 at the age of 17. Though he was only 17 and this was a first offense for selling a small amount of cocaine, he was sentenced to one to two years in state prison. Hewas released after 11 months, after which he earned his GED and his HVAC license. He works as an HVAC technician and hopes to start his own HVAC business with his son. He is seeking a pardon so that his conviction no longer limits where they can work, including certain state and federal buildings.
Brittany Reichmann was convicted of two counts of possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance in 2014. Ms. Reichmann was a straight A student in high school until her senior year when she was prescribed opiates for pain management after dental surgery. She developed a dependency that set her life on a downward spiral. She struggled with substance use disorder for several years and was 23 when she was convicted on two counts of possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance. She was sentenced to six months in the house of correction, suspended for four years, and four years of probation. Ms. Riechmann completed her sentence in 2018. She has been sober since 2017 and has worked extensively in the recovery field, most recently as the Director of Recovery Friendly Workplace Maine, which partners with businesses to support employees in recovery. She speaks regularly at schools and recovery events about her experience and owns and manages a small business she founded. Ms. Reichmann lives in Maine with her husband and their two young children. She is seeking a pardon to ensure her record does not limit her future employment or her ability to participate in her children’s school and sports activities.
The Governor of Massachusetts has the power to grant executive clemency for offenses violating state law, including both pardons and commutations, with the advice and consent of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council. A pardon in Massachusetts is an act of clemency that results in the forgiveness of a crime.
Governor Healey made history as the first Massachusetts Governor in more than 30 years to recommend pardons in her first elected year. She has now recommended a total of 29 pardons. She also issued clemency guidelines that align with her administration’s commitment to centering fairness and equity in the criminal justice system.
Housing Court
Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross is a Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) in Boston, where she works on litigation, amicus briefs, and legal policy across New England. Over the course of her career, she has litigated both criminal and civil matters in the District, Superior, and Housing Courts of Western Massachusetts. Her experience in the Housing Court spans three decades and includes representing a housing management company in hundreds of legal matters, representing property owners and landlords, assisting with code enforcement and creating a commission to manage and rehabilitate blighted properties for the City of Holyoke, and providing pro bono representation to families and individuals facing foreclosures and unjustified eviction orders. She also helped create the Volunteers for Justice program (now called the Lawyer for a Day program) in the Western Massachusetts Housing Court, a program designed to secure legal representation for low-income litigants in the Housing Court. Prior to joining GLAD Law, Attorney Rodriguez-Ross served as the Assistant Vice President of Compliance Housing Management Resources, Inc. from 2022-2023, and as a Staff Attorney at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, from 2006-2010, and again from 2021-2022. She operated a solo law practice 2010-2021, where her practice focused on criminal defense and housing law. From 2012-2013, she served as the City Solicitor for the City of Holyoke. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Western New England School of Law from 2015-2021. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College and a Juris Doctor from Western New England College School of Law. A Springfield native and the granddaughter of a Puerto Rican migrant farmworker, she currently resides with her husband in South Hadley.
The Housing Court Department handles all matters involving residential housing such as eviction cases, small claims cases, and civil actions involving personal injury, property damage, breach of contract, discrimination, as well as code enforcement actions and appeals of local zoning board decisions that affect residential housing. Led by Chief Justice Diana H. Horan, the Housing Court has 15 justices sitting, in six divisions across the state.
For more information about the Housing Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey previously nominated Benjamin Adeyinka as an Associate Justice to the Housing Court.
Parole Board
James Kelcourse has served as a member of the Massachusetts Parole Board since June 2022. He is an attorney with extensive experience in criminal defense and civil litigation. Before joining the Parole Board, he ran a solo practice in Newburyport. He previously served four terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the First Essex District, which includes the cities of Newburyport and Amesbury and the town of Salisbury. Attorney Kelcourse holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University, and a Juris Doctor from the Massachusetts School of Law.
The Massachusetts Parole Board promotes public safety through the supervised, conditional release of incarcerated individuals and supports successful reentry into the community. Board members conduct parole release hearings, notify and assist victims, supervise individuals on parole, and coordinate reentry services to those leaving custody without post-release supervision. Governor Healey previously nominated Kaitlyn O’Leary, Angelo Gomez Jr, Edith J Alexander, Sarah B. Coughlin and Rafael Ortiz.
